Method and system for providing group interactive control of a shared digital entertainment environment using telephones and telecommunications networks

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for interacting in a game or entertainment experience in which participants in the game are located in the same physical space and use telecommunications networks and telephones. The game consists of actions initiated by game participants through their pressing numerical or symbolic keys on their telephones, or speaking into their telephones, so as to control or initiate action within the game.

1 . A method for using a telephone to control input/output interactions with a networked data processing unit, such as a conventional networked computer, comprising: 
 a telecommunications network; a telephony network gateway; an internet protocol (IP) network such as the Internet that is connected to the telephony network gateway and to the data processing unit. The telecommunications network is coupled to the telephony network gateway through the initiation of a telephone call. The telephony network gateway is configured so as to deliver messages to the data processing unit that correspond to the specific audio signals generated by such as key presses and speech from the telephone so as to initiate actions on the data processing unit.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the telecommunications network includes a wireless carrier.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless carrier includes a cellular digital packet network.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless carrier includes a code division multiple access network.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless carrier includes a global system for mobile communications network.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless carrier includes a general packet radio service network.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless carrier includes a 1xEVDO data transport  
   
   
       8 . The method of claims  1  and  2  wherein the communications network includes an IP network system.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the IP network system includes voice over IP network (VOIP)  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the communications network includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN).  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the key press audio signals generated are dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF).  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the telephony gateway is a voice extensible markup language (VXML) gateway.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the telephony gateway is a voice over IP (VOIP) gateway.